Pain Is a Good Motivator

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Guest post from Gabe "THE GENERAL CONTRACTOR" Krueger

Why do I wait for a painful experience to learn and/or make a change?

I was, and still sometimes am, oblivious to my behavior before a painful situation arises of self-awareness. Years ago I started realizing that my troubles were of my own doing. Meaning that when a problem with a customer or subcontractor came up, it usually had to do with my lack of communication somewhere along the line.

Example:

A customer asks for extras on a job that is in progress. They are not in the contract. Being the "nice guy" that I am, I say "Yes! No problem!" Knowing that I am the general contractor on the job and by saying yes, I am helping the flow of the job. Because I do not like when someone or something slows me down. Here is the funny part, the universe is telling me "SLOW DOWN." However, I ignore the warning and motor on. By the end of the job, they have gotten at least 5-10 little jobs out of me and no change orders. They are happy. I am left resentful. All because of me ignoring the universe and trying once again to be the nice guy.

Solution:

For me, this has been a difficult journey. I have actually had to seek help from groups, books, and mentors to help deal with this problem. For me, it's not just simply saying "No" and moving on. There are deeply ingrained behaviors that are happening when interacting with a customer during a negotiation. Through this work, I have cleaned up my contracts, and I am more at peace with who I am as a person. I am more confident, and I am not afraid of people anymore.

Back to the solution. The more time I take (which is not a lot of time) before a job starts to work on the details and fine print, the easier the job goes. When a customer asks for an extra when I am feeling good!!!!! I simply say, "I will review the contract and get back to you by tomorrow." If that means shutting things down for the day....so be it. It also gives the customer time to think.